Having teamed with Eddie Murphy on the upcoming Rudy Ray Moore biopic Dolemite Is My Name, director Craig Brewer now finds himself tackling Coming 2 America, the sequel to Murphy’s 1988 comedy classic – an experience he says is “both a joy and incredibly daunting.”
“Every day we realize the legacy that we are playing with,” Brewer tells EW. “It is both a joy and incredibly daunting… I don’t want to sound too outrageous, but I think America needs Akeem and Semmi right now. [Laughs] I hope you know that’s sincere from me, that’s how I feel. We need them.”
Brewer also went on to comment on the recent casting of Wesley Snipes, stating that: ““If you would have told me 10 years ago that Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes is comedy gold together, I wouldn’t have believed you. But, now seeing them share a frame together, I can’t unsee it, I can’t unfeel it. It’s amazing, it’s electric, and it’s something I’ve always wanted but just didn’t know it [laughs].”
Meanwhile, in other casting news, John Amos has become the latest actor confirmed to be reprising their role from the original film, with Amos set to return as Cleo McDowell alongside Murphy (Akeem), Arsenio Hall (Semmi), James Earl Jones (King Jaffe Joffer) and Paul Bates (Oha). New additions to the cast include Wesley Snipes (Blade), Rick Ross (Uncle Drew), Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You), Leslie Jones (Ghostbusters), and KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk).
Coming 2 America is set for release on December 18th 2020.